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A federal trade panel recommended Friday a range of tariffs and quotas on steel imports, but the proposals fell short of what the beleaguered U.S. industry wanted.

Each of the six members of the International Trade Commission made recommendations about how the U.S. government could offset steel imports that the panel earlier ruled were unfairly subsidized by foreign governments.

The tariffs suggested for 16 steel product lines ranged from 5 percent to 40 percent, with most in the range of 8 percent to 20 percent.

Two commissioners also recommended quotas.

The U.S. steel industry, which has seen 26 companies file for bankruptcy since 1998, had sought tariffs ranging from 30 percent to 50 percent.

Foreign steel producers and companies that use foreign-made steel say tariffs will raise prices on consumer products ranging from cars to appliances, and could ignite a trade war that would make it harder to sell American steel products abroad.

They also say U.S. companies have outdated facilities that make steel production more expensive.

Yankee Energy Moving

From Meriden To Berlin

Yankee Energy System Inc., the state's largest natural gas company, will move its headquarters from Meriden to Berlin in February, consolidating front-office operations with its parent company, Northeast Utilities.

NU bought Yankee Energy last year, and relocation of the headquarters and about 100 employees is the final major element of the integration, said Dennis E. Welch, Yankee Energy's president and chief operating officer.

Yankee Energy last year sold its current headquarters building on Research Parkway in Meriden, and for the past year has been leasing back the space.

In Berlin, Yankee Energy's headquarters will occupy renovated space in the South Building of NU's campus on Selden Street.

Have You Heard?

Ever feel like your workplace is a sinking ship? You're not alone.

A new survey of workers finds that more than a quarter say ``Titanic'' is the movie that best reflects the current mood of their office, up from a mere 10 percent a year ago.

With the chill from this year's economic iceberg, ``Titanic'' -- chosen by 28 percent of those polled -- nearly unseated the antic-filled ``Big'' as the movie that best reflects America's office spaces.

``Big'' was the choice of 30 percent of those surveyed; still No. 1, but without the margin it enjoyed last year, when the Tom Hanks movie was the choice of 47 percent of office workers.

Other choices in the survey, done by the Mead office products company, included ``Working Girl'' (which garnered about 20 percent each year); ``Gladiator'' (which dropped from 24 percent to 16 percent); and the somewhat more obscure ``Glenngary Glenn Ross'' (which was shut out last year, and picked by 5 percent of workers this year).